Saint Thomas Health Hosts FREE Medical, Dental, and Vision Care in Rutherford County for a Day of Hope, Health and Healing

As part of its commitment to serve the poor and vulnerable in Middle Tennessee, Saint Thomas Health hosted a free health care clinic at Hobgood Elementary School in Murfreesboro on Saturday, April 29 from 8am-2pm (see pictures below).

Saint Thomas Health, a part of Ascension, the nation’s largest Catholic and non-profit health system, partnered with more than 20 locally-based agencies to provide care for more than 200 low-income uninsured or underinsured individuals in Rutherford County.

A Day of Hope, Health and Healing consisted of more than 200 volunteers from Saint Thomas Health, including physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, pharmacists, chaplains, senior leadership and other hospital staff, providing healthcare screenings and medical care for those most in need. Pharmacy services, including select prescription medications were provided by the Dispensary of Hope. Dental services (on-site fillings and extractions) were offered by Hope Smiles, a non-profit organization. Other services included free primary and specialty healthcare services, such as mammograms, vision services, foot and wound care, and behavioral medicine.

“Our hope is one day we won’t have to host a medical mission ever again, but until everyone has healthcare, we’ll be here for them,” said Saint Thomas Health President & CEO Karen Springer. “Having all the right resources here for those who need it most and them leaving here with a smile on their face because we’ve been able to help them in some way is truly a gift.”

Since the first Ascension Medical Mission at Home in 2008 for Saint Thomas Health, the event has provided more than 20,000 patient encounters for Middle Tennessee families.

The Ascension Medical Mission at Home is part of a national effort by Ascension and its caregivers to host similar events across the country. To date, Medical Mission at Home events have been held in Tennessee, Washington D.C., New York, Alabama, Florida, Connecticut, Indiana and Texas, and plans to expand to other markets in the coming months to meet individual and community health needs.

ABOUT SAINT THOMAS HEALTH

In Tennessee, Ascension’s Saint Thomas Health operates nine hospitals in addition to a comprehensive network of affiliated joint ventures, medical practices, clinics and rehabilitation facilities that cover a 68-county area and employ more than 8,000 associates. Across the state, Saint Thomas Health provided more than $78 million in community benefit and care of persons living in poverty in fiscal year 2016. Serving Tennessee for 15 years, Ascension is a faith-based healthcare organization committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable. Ascension is the largest non-profit health system in the U.S. and the world’s largest Catholic health system, operating 2,500 sites of care – including 141 hospitals and more than 30 senior living facilities – in 24 states and the District of Columbia. Visit www.sthealth.com